


ABCs of Power Ranger Pets

by Arytra



Category: Power Rangers
Genre: Fluff, Gen, One Big Happy Ranger Family, Pets, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-28
Updated: 2016-04-12
Packaged: 2017-12-24 21:19:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 14,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/944778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arytra/pseuds/Arytra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Most people love a good pet and the Power Rangers are no exception to that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A is for Alpaca Who Belongs to Maya

**Author's Note:**

> A special thanks to the always awesome Akume for her work on the banners. She fulfilled my dream of making this like a picture books and I can't thank her enough.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>  
> 
> Some Rangers are gifted with a new friend to adore.

All of the animals Maya had seen from Earth had been aboard Terra Venture. She’d enjoyed their horses, marveled at their cats, played with the dogs, and looked around at all of the other various animals. Kendrix had patiently explained most of them before her death and once she got back, and Mike had filled things in while she was gone when he’d noticed her crestfallen expression one morning. By a year in, she had memorized the information that Kendrix had given her and had slowly began to help the Earthians integrate their animals into her culture. By two years, she’d enjoyed their company as much as she enjoyed the animals on her own planet.

So, when the others got together and saved one of the Alpaca babies for her, she’d been ecstatic. Kendrix had spent an hour going over care and management and making certain they had something set up. Mike had finally had to tell her to give it up because Maya wasn’t listening to a single word. Instead, she’d wrapped her arms around the little critter and falling head over heels for it. Kendrix sighed, wrote it down, and left it next to Maya’s bed without a complaint. Maya followed most of the instructions to the letter, but like most pet owners, there were some things she was lax with.

“I know I built that thing a pen,” Damon said as he eyed the alpaca underneath the tree Maya was laying in. “I know because Kendrix nagged me about it for fifteen minutes.”

Leo glanced up from his snack and looked over. “Rylin’s just smart. Kendrix thinks it has something to do with food or air or he’s just advanced.”

“She looking into it?”

“I don’t think so,” Leo answered. “Besides, other than getting out and following Maya around, Rylin doesn’t get into that much trouble.”

“Tell that to Kai.”

“I did. This morning. He threw me out of the bedroom,” Leo said, not looking even looking a little shamed. “Rylin only got into his cooking once. I don’t see what the big deal is.”

Damon shook his head and glanced back to see that both Rylin and Maya were completely asleep with Maya’s arm reaching down toward her pet. He’d take a look at the pen for profession’s sake, but he didn’t think he’d be making it have tighter security. Not when he saw the small smile on Maya’s face and the complete calm of Rylin. He glanced back at Leo who just nodded in silent agreement over not wanting to disturb the two and went back to work, leaving the jungle girl and her pet alone.


	2. B is for Bat who Belongs to Theo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>  
> 
> But not all of the pets are necessarily chosen by their Ranger.

Theo swore up and down that he hated the thing. None of the Jungle Fury Rangers were quite sure how it even got in, but the little bat had managed to weasel its way into their living quarters. R.J. had told them to let it be itself and leave it to exist in the surroundings it felt comfortable in. Lily had decided it was adorable and that the insects nearby wouldn’t stand a chance. Casey was just careful not to accidentally hit the bat when he didn’t see it. For the most part, however, it tried to stay around Theo.

“You should give it a name,” Lily informed him.

“It’s not a pet,” Theo muttered. “It’s a bat that doesn’t realize it lives outside.”

“I don’t think he does anymore,” Casey mentioned, trying to ignore the glare that Theo gave him.

“You could name him Swoop!” Lily suggested.

“No!” Theo said, looking horrified. The twin looks of amusement on his friends’ faces were not helping. “No names! He shouldn’t even be here!”

“R.J. says that we should help him with his journey through life with understanding,” Casey reminded him. “And since he’s our master…”

“No names,” Theo said again. They were both quiet after that. Theo nodded, believing the conversation to be over when he heard Fran’s voice cut in.

“So, we’ll call him Nemo then,” she said. She looked at the little bat and smiled. “I like that.”

“Nemo!” Lily said. “That’s adorable!”

Casey nodded. “I like it.”

“Well, Theo is the one who named him,” Fran said. All three of them looked at her in surprise. “Nemo means no one. R.J. asked me to come get you.”

Lily and Casey headed downstairs as Theo bristled for a minute. He looked over at Nemo. “This is all your fault, Nemo.”

He could have sworn the little bat was grinning.


	3. C is For Crow Who Belongs to Flynn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Others pretend to be annoyed, but need the challenge of a pet.

Don’t get him wrong, Flynn was thrilled that some animals had survived. It wasn’t just animals that had been brought over by humans either, but a few adaptable animals that had slipped in. That said, just because he was glad they hadn’t died, didn’t mean he wanted them in his workshop. “Hey! Pest! Where’s my screws?”

A loud caw came down from the rafters toward him. Flynn glared upward. “That’s the third time this week! Give ‘em back!”

There was another caw as the bird flew down, sans the screws, and looked at him as it cawed again. “I’m not giving you anything to eat today if you don’t.”

The bird looked at him and moved its head to the side before hopping toward him and pulling on his shirt. It then backed up again and looked expectantly. “Go get your own dinner.” Pest headed toward him again, tugging once more and this time just looking at him. Flynn glanced around, making sure that the others were busy with things before he sighed. He needed a break anyway, relieved when Pest decided to wait at his work bench instead of following. He was in the kitchen, opening the bread for the sandwich he was making, when he felt the tap on his shoulder. He whirled around and relaxed when he saw Ziggy grinning back at him.

“I thought you said you weren’t feeding Pest anymore,” he teased. Flynn straightened himself up a bit.

“I was just hungry,” Flynn answered. “It’s not for him.”

“He’s been getting into your smoothies when we’re gone.”

Flynn was quiet for a minute and then headed back into his workshop. “You thieving bird!” Ziggy just grinned as he helped himself to Flynn’s sandwich. The Blue Ranger was going to need to make a better dinner for Pest anyway.


	4. D is for Duck Who Belongs to Zack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some Rangers treat theirs like a member of the family.

“Kim?”

“Yes, Justin?”

“Does Zack know he has a duck?”

“I sure hope so or Alpha has been lost for the past three years,” Kim said, reached down and petting back the duck’s feathers. Alpha shook his feather a bit in response and quacked. Kim laughed and looked up. “Zack! He’s looking for you!”

“Coming!” Zack called back. The duck turned its head toward where Zack was calling from and headed in that direction. Justin just stood back at watched as Alpha started quacking loudly. As Zack came out, Alpha headed toward him until Zack picked him up and walked back toward the others. “Hey Justin!”

“You have a duck?” He managed to get out. Zack had insisted that the younger Ranger join Kim and him for swimming and s’mores which he didn’t get since he barely knew them. Zack had insisted that it would be fun and somehow managed to word it so that Justin wanted to come. Even with Zack just randomly deciding he wanted Rangers he barely knew at his house, Justin hadn’t expected the man to own a duck. He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t expected it seeing how Zack’s personality was, he probably should have expected something. Still, a duck wasn’t at the top of his list.

“Yep! A friend of mine had some ducks and one of the eggs hatched while I was there. Alpha’s been following me around ever since, haven’t you, Buddy?”

Alpha quacked again as Zack set him in his lap. The bird seemed content to stay there. Justin figured it was a safe subject. “And you named him ‘Alpha’?”

“He waddles and follows me around,” Zack answered. “What else would I call him?”

Justin looked at the duck and then back at Zack. At this point, he figured he should just go along with it if he didn’t want Zack to be mad at him. “Does he bite?”

“Hasn’t yet!” Zack answered. Justin reached over tentatively and touched the duck, jumping a bit when Alpha quacked. He glanced at Zack who just nodded for him to try again. This time, Alpha stayed quiet.

“There, see?” Kim said cheerfully. “He likes you!”

Justin smiled and continued petting Alpha as Zack and Kim grinned over his head. All four of them just looked content.


	5. E is for European Box Turtle Who Belongs to Camille

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Other Rangers have a lesson to learn from theirs.

“It’s a turtle,” Camille informed R.J.

“She is a turtle,” he answered back. “A box turtle.”

“What am I supposed to do with her?” She asked, looking at it in the aquarium. R.J. grinned.

“She’s going to teach you how to live,” he answered. She opened her mouth to protest, but R.J. stopped her. “You know how to survive, but our turtle friend here will teach you how to live.”

Camille looked dubious, but just nodded. Casey had told her it was easier to go along with R.J. and that the master’s seemingly crazy ideas tended to work. She glanced down at the turtle with that in mind. After staring at it for about an hour, she frowned. “How are you supposed to teach me how to live? You don’t do anything,” she scolded it. The turtle didn’t answer.

Camille made certain to feed it and take care of it over the next several weeks, but she wasn’t sure what to do with it besides that. She certainly wasn’t understanding R.J.’s meaning. She glanced at it. “I don’t know what he wants from me,” she told the turtle. “I don’t mind caring for you, but there’s no training behind it. Just like the pizzas he keeps trying to teach me to make. I’m starting to think it was a bad idea for me to come back. If Jarrod hadn’t insisted, I think I’d just want to be out hiding somewhere away from people.”

The turtle just looked at her. She sighed and pulled it out to let it move around a bit before she needed to put it back. To her surprise, it just stayed by her and watched. “What is it? Did you need something?” It didn’t answer. She wasn’t sure how turtles were supposed to act, but she had always moved around before. “Are you sick?”

Once again, it didn’t answer. Camille’s heart began to race. “You’re forbidden from being sick,” she told the turtle. “Get better now!”

The turtle didn’t react. Camille gently picked her up and rushed downstairs. “R.J.!”

The man quickly turned around at her panicked tone and saw the turtle in her hands. “Camille?”

“Something is wrong with her!” Camille told him. R.J. quickly excused himself and headed over to her. He looked the turtle over and calmed down.

“She’s fine.”

“She wasn’t moving!” Camille said. “She just stayed by me and stared!”

R.J. smiled. “What were you doing when she did that?”

“Talking to her,” Camille answered. She paused for a minute. “Not that I really thought she could understand…”

“She was taking in the vibes you were letting off,” R.J. explained. “And then you were worried about her, right?”

Camille nodded as she took the turtle back. If R.J. said she was fine, she was probably fine. “Yes.”

“Were you just worried about her for her?” He asked. Camille felt a sense of guilt.

“I was worried she wouldn’t be around,” Camille answered. R.J. nodded.

“That’s living. It’s caring about people and things and wanting them in your life. You complete your journey through life together,” he answered. Camille was about to mention that she felt like that toward Jarrod, but she realized he’d been the only one. Now there was him and this turtle in her hands that she cared deeply about.

“I think I understand,” she said. “Thank you.”

“Anytime!” He assured her, heading back toward the kitchen. Camille took her friend back upstairs and put her back in her aquarium.

“Thank you, Little Master,” she said, sitting down next to the aquarium. Little Master just looked on, keeping an eye on things while Camille rested.


	6. F is for Ferret Who Belongs to Ronny and Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Differing views can lead to trouble when you're trying to care for something, but can still be the best for what's being cared for.

The first time Ronny took Aurora Borealis with her on a drive, Rose nearly strangled her for it. The ferret had adorably watched back and forth as her ‘mommies’ argued over whether or not it was safe enough for her to go with Ronny. Ronny accused Rose of being overprotective. Rose accused Ronny of being too careless. She finally let out a little squeak and both of the women dropped the argument and turned to her.

“She’s not hurt, right?” Ronny asked, her dismissive attitude shifting to worry. Rose looked Aurora over and relaxed.

“She’s fine,” Rose answered. “I guess we were making a lot of noise.”

“Yeah,” Ronny said. They were quiet for a minute. “I should have let you know what I was thinking.”

“I just want her to be safe,” Rose answered, petting the ferret. “I know you want to show her things, but I just worry.”

“I won’t let anything bad happen to her,” Ronny assured her. “She just likes speed.”

Aurora moved from Rose and climbed over to Ronny, climbing to her shoulder and digging her claws in. Rose looked a little bemused as Ronny looked sheepish. “I didn’t teach her that.”

“Of course you didn’t,” Rose said with a sigh. “I know you like to take her with you and you’re careful with her, but I just feel safer when we’re reading.”

Aurora dashed off of Ronny and rushed up Rose, wrapping herself around her shoulders and relaxing. Ronny laughed. “Looks like she picked up ‘reading’ from you.”

Rose paused for a minute before laughing. “Aurora,” she said, scratching the ferret’s head. “You’re too smart for your own good, aren’t you?”

Aurora just enjoyed the pets and looked at Ronny expectantly who immediately pet the ferret as well. Rose looked over at Ronny. “Come on. Let’s go lay in bed for a while. You can pick the book.”

Ronny wrapped her arms around Rose. “Sounds good to me!”

Aurora just looked content.


	7. G is For Guinea Pig Who Belongs to Z

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes it takes time for a wish to come true, but that doesn't make it any less wonderful when it does.

Growing up on the streets, Z had never had a pet. It just hadn’t made sense that if you could barely feed yourself, you’d have a pet. Other than having something like a dog if you needed protection, but she’d had Jack for that. They were able to protect each other, they were friends, so pets were an extra expense that two young children couldn’t afford. That hadn’t stopped Z from wishing, however, and Jack had sometimes had to drag her away from looking at other people’s pets.

Then she’d become a Power Ranger and she hadn’t had time for anything. They’d had RIC anyway, so she tried not to think about it. Still, she’d still glance over once in a while and she’d noticed that Bridge had noticed at least. She’d thought about asking him not to mention it to the others, but she was really hoping that it was her imagination and she telling him would only let him know. Eventually, they took down Grumm and everything started to feel a lot less dire.

“Z?” Bridge asked, heading into the room. Z looked over at him only to see Sky and Syd standing behind him, the former looking a little amused for him and the latter looking less than pleased. She looked directly at Syd.

“This was not my idea,” she said. Sky gave her a look and then looked back at Z.

“Jack’s in the other room,” he said. Z wanted to tell them that they were terrible at being subtle, but she had the feeling Bridge had put a lot of thought into this, so she went along with it for his sake. Jack was in the other room in front of a cage which was empty. Instead, he was holding a calico creature in his hands and grinning.

“What is that?” Z managed to ask.

“A guinea pig,” Bridge answered. “I thought you might want something that didn’t need to be walked.”

“I could have gotten you a dog,” Syd sniffed. “A good one.”

“I suggested a cat,” Sky informed her, though he still looked amused. Jack shrugged.

“I liked Bridge’s idea,” he told her. “You don’t seem like a dog or cat kind of girl.”

Z reached over and Jack gently handed her the little creature. “Uh, is it a boy or a girl.”

“A girl,” Bridge answered. “Syd said our team needed more girls.”

“I think I added in that if we were going to get the rodent…” Syd started, but Z ignored the protests. Syd had protested about RIC too.

“What are you going to call her?” Bridge asked.

“Robin,” she answered. When they all looked a little confused, she smiled. “For Robin Hood.”

They were all quiet for a minute before Sky looked at her sternly. “I better not have to arrest her for stealing.”

“Sky, was that a joke?” Z asked. He snorted, but she noticed his eyes twinkled a bit.

“I don’t joke,” he answered, reaching over and petting Robin on the head. The others looked at each other for a minute, Jack just laughed. Z glanced down at her new pet who was perfectly content to warble and snuggle. It wasn’t the pet she had ever thought she’d get, but she had the feeling Robin would be good for all of them.


	8. H is for Hedgehog Who Belongs to Dustin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just because your teacher corrects you when you do something wrong, doesn't mean it's okay to take their pet.

Cam looked at the student and then at the creature in his hands before looking back at the student. “Why do you have Sensei Brooks’ hedgehog?”

“Well, uh, some of the other Earth students were having trouble and Dustin corrected them so they decided to take him to get back at Sensei,” the kid answered. He looked completely uncomfortably standing there and Cam could understand that having to face him for something this kid didn’t do had to be difficult. “So, I got him back and brought him here.”

“Her.”

“Huh?”

“Sensei Brooks’ hedgehog is female,” Cam informed him. “I’ll take her back to Sensei Brooks and let him know you found her. I’m assuming you have training?”

The student quickly bowed and nearly tripped over himself rushing out the door. Cam just held the hedgehog to him as he tried to look like the authority figure he was before headed back toward his desk and setting her down. Dustin had been beside himself the night before trying to find her. He had dragged the rest of them up to help him find her, but none of them had been able to and Cam had eventually gotten them to go back to bed. He’d felt bad about it when he saw the tears in Dustin’s eyes, but there hadn’t been anything they could do.

“Apparently, we need better security on Dustin’s room,” he muttered to himself. He glanced down to see the hedgehog starting to wander off. He reached down and scooped her up. “I’m not spending another night chasing after you, Kawasaki.”

He heard the door open and shut, glancing over as Dustin headed in. Unlike his normal self, he seemed to be almost dragging himself. Cam made a note to expel the students involved with the kidnapping. He sighed and held up Kawasaki. “Evan dropped this off for you.”

The hedgehog made noises that showed her displeasure at being held that way as Dustin looked up. “Cam, dude! You found her!” He said, taking the hedgehog and snuggling with her. “She’s like okay, right, dude?”

“She’s fine,” Cam answered. Dustin looked far more relaxed and while Cam wasn’t about to admit it, he did like him better that way. “The names I had for her were more apt.”

“Dude, I’m not naming her after your cousins! She’s not a Marah or Kapri like hedgehog,” Dustin said. Cam rolled her eyes.

“We spent all night looking for her. She’s exactly like Marah and Kapri,” Cam said, remembering a night two weeks before where the two had worried him sick by randomly taking off. He’s have sworn Kawasaki belonged to them for all the trouble the hedgehog gave him.

“No worries, Dude. I’m not gonna lose her again,” he promised before looking uncharacteristically serious. “Listen, Kawasaki, no more running off, okay? You scared me!”

Cam imagined that she’d be bristling if she was smart enough to understand what he said. As it was, she seemed to be fine just being with Dustin as his face brightened back up. After a minute, Cam spoke up. “Dustin, I have work to do.”

“Cam, thanks, Dude! We appreciate it!” He said, rushing out the door. Cam just watched them go and shook his head before concentrating on getting back to work. He ran the security and no matter what, he was certain that students were on one of his tapes. He just had to find them. He reflected on his lack of sleep, Dustin’s tears, and the obvious relief Dustin had at knowing Kawasaki was alright as he looked. Maybe he wouldn’t expel the student after all. Kapri and Marah had been complaining about not having enough to do, ergo why they’d taken off, and whether or not they were being rehabilitated, what was the point of having former evil cousins if you couldn’t let them lose on students who made your best friends cry?


	9. I is for Iguana Who Belongs to Billy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After he returns to earth, Kim makes sure Billy won't feel alone again.

When Billy had gotten back to Earth from Aquitar, he’d been surprised to find Kim waiting for him. He’d mentioned that the interspecies marriage just wasn’t working out and Kim had suggested he come back to Earth where he could grieve with his family. He’s given a minor protest, but eventually he’s agreed. He didn’t feel at home in either place, but Earth was more familiar. So, when he saw her waiting, he looked surprised.

“Welcome home!” She said, throwing her arms around him and kissing his cheek. “I’m going to assume Aquitians don’t have our kind of wedding and that’s why I wasn’t invited.”

“Kim…” He started, but she wouldn’t have any of it.

“That’s in the past. I grabbed every science fiction movie I could think of that came out since you left. I figure you can explain to me why they don’t make sense and I can tease you that they’re just movies,” she said cheerfully. “I also got a spare key and made sure you had furniture and stuff.”

“You didn’t have to…”

“You just got home, Billy. I don’t think you want to sleep on the floor,” she scolded. He opened it and relaxed as she seemed to have taken to decorating it without going overboard. There were several different colors instead of just blue and he fleetingly thought that she probably didn’t want him to think about Aquitar. In the corner, however, was a large aquarium with a creature resting on a log. He looked over at Kim.

“What is that?”

“I think,” she said carefully. “That you need a friend that you know won’t leave you.”

He paused at that and saw the guilt on her face. He still felt a bit of hurt and anger, but the guilt and pain reflected on her face caused him to look over at the aquarium. Inside it, a small, young iguana looked back up at him. “An iguana.”

“You said when we were twelve that you wanted one,” she said nervously. “But that you couldn’t get one because of your dad’s work schedule. Then we were Rangers and pets were a little too hard to own.”

Billy nodded as looked at it. He had said that and part of him was surprised she remembered it, though he wasn’t sure why. Kim had always been the best at keeping up with things when it came to the five of them. Along with her outgoing personality, it was one of those things that made Kim, well, Kim. He glanced over to see the books on iguana care and was amused to see that a couple of them had obviously been open. He glanced back at her with a slight smile. “You read how to care for an iguana?”

Kim pouted. “Trini wouldn’t summarize for me. She said it was my idea, so I should do the research.”

For the first time since his divorce, Billy laughed. He felt transported back years before when Kim and Zack had begged Trini for translations while Jason had just smiled. He pulled her into a hug. “Thank you, Kim.”

“You’re welcome,” she assured him and then snapped her fingers as she remembered something. “You’re going to want to name him before the others get here tomorrow or Zack will name him and since he named the duck ‘Alpha’…”

“The duck?” Billy asked before his mind caught up with him. “The others?”

“Zack has a duck,” she said. “It’s adorable, but I figured you’d want to name it something like Aristotle instead of whatever Zack comes up with. And yes, Zack, Jason, and Trini are coming back when they heard you were. I think Zack is dragging Justin too, so there’s that.”

“How does Zack know Justin?”

“You know Zack,” she said. “He found out about the kid, asked the others how the kid was, found out that no one had paid attention to him, and decided to save him before and I’m quoting here ‘the kid becomes Billy 2.0’.”

Billy wanted to be angry, but he had the feeling he knew what Zack meant. Now that he looked around, he could see bits and pieces of his friends in the apartment with him. He looked at Kim and smiled. “I think Morph and I would like that.”

Kim laughed. “You’re naming the iguana ‘Morph’?” She asked.

“Morphin didn’t sound quite right,” he answered. “And I wanted to name him after my friends. Can you help me make dinner for everyone?”

“You don’t have to do that, Billy,” she assured him. He snorted.

“I want to make dinner for my family. And if we’re adopting Justin, I think it’s only fair we make sure he’s eating,” he teased. “I’d hate for him to leave Earth and marry an alien because he felt lonely.”

“We’d all hate that,” she said, accepting his underlying words. “Don’t leave us again?”

“I’m home, Kim,” he assured her and glancing over at Morph. He’d read up on all of the books and make sure to do a good job caring for the lizard. After all, the pet was a representation of the love his friends had for him and Kim was right. He felt better having a friend he knew would always be with him.


	10. J is for Jack Russell Terrier Who Belongs to Kim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Birthday puppies are the best when you know they're coming!

Power Rangers weren’t exactly like regular men and women at times. For instance, when Kim hit her 21st birthday, she hadn’t wanted to go and get drunk because she could. It just didn’t sound like something she’d enjoy doing and, if she wanted to be honest with herself, she had never taken to drinking in case something happened. Her friends had easily agreed with her on that, unlike the people she’d known in Florida, and had promised to make it back to Angel Grove to see her on the 21st, other than Billy who had sent her a birthday greeting and talked with her for an hour or so which she was grateful for. She wasn’t going to expect him to make it all the way back from Aquitar, after all.

Jason had called her earlier that month and asked her if it was alright to bring her home a puppy for her birthday which she’d agreed to. She loved each of her friends, but she knew Jason would pick out something that would suit her. So, on her birthday, they all gathered in her living room to talk and laugh before Jason brought in a small Jack Russell Terrier puppy who was already wriggling and trying to get down. Kim looked at it and giggled.

“Is that my birthday puppy?” She asked. “He’s so little!”

“I don’t know, Kim,” Zack teased. “He’s hyper and tiny. He kind of reminds me of you.”

She threw a pillow at him. He laughed as he let it hit him, rolling back with it as Kim headed over to Jason and took the squirming present from him. “You are so cute!” She informed it. The puppy yipped and tried to lick her face in response. She switched it to one hand and hugged Jason with the other. “Thank you!”

“What are you going to call him?” Trini asked, looking in amusement as Kim seemed to easily keep up with the Jack Russell Terrier. Zack’s eyes lit up.

“Name him after Billy! For the wolf thing!” He suggested. Kim gave him another look and Trini smacked him with another pillow.

“Since Jason gave him to me,” Kim said, setting her puppy down so he could tear around her apartment. “I’m going to name him Dodger.”

Jason laughed as Trini and Zack both snickered. An eight year old Kim had been forced to miss Valentine’s Day because she’d caught the chicken pox a day before. Jason, who had already caught the disease, had come over to keep her company for the day and dealt with watching Oliver and Company three times. After that, Kim had insisted that it was Jason and her movie and she wasn’t going to watch it without him. Jason had joked that that was fine since it lessened the amount of times he’d have to sit through it again.

Dodger glanced up as they spoke before racing around and trying to catch every speck of dust he could see in his mouth. Kim grinned. “I love him!”

“You better learn how to control him before you guys come visit,” Zack warned. “I’m not going to let him chase Alpha.”

“I think a good run around would be good for him,” Kim teased. Zack gave her a look.

“He’s getting old,” he said. “He needs quiet.”

“I’ve heard how loud you play your music,” Trini said softly. “I don’t think it’s tranquil for him.”

Zack pouted, but didn’t say anything else and instead continued to watch as Kim raced after her new puppy with the others, getting ready to eat cake soon. Jason looked a little smug over the whole thing, but Zack was quietly pleased. He had the feeling that the puppy was Jason’s way of welcoming their old friend home and he was fine with that.


	11. K is for Kitten Who Belongs to Jarrod

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tiny kittens make good companions.

Jarrod stared at the kitten. The tiny thing was trying to stalk Theo’s bat which would have Theo simultaneously trying to protect the bat and insisting it wasn’t his any minute now. He’d heard it said that house cats thought that they were larger wild cats and since he was watching the thing anyway, he tried to figure out which of the people in R.J.’s home that it reminded him of. The little creature was paying him no mind as it continued to creep up on the bat. The first thing he took in was that the kitten didn’t blend in. Its calico fur stood it completely out. The second thing he took into consideration was that it was a stocky little thing.

He immediately ruled out Lily’s cheetah after coming to that conclusion. The kitten was far too muscular to be like her slender cat. Soon after, Theo noticed it and headed toward it. “Shoo! Stop that!” He scolded and the kitten tore off running. Lily gave him a look and Jarrod realized that they actually hadn’t noticed it had made its way through the door. The kitten looked at Theo and backed off a bit before just staring at him.

“Theo! Stop picking on the kitten just because it’s going after your bat!” Lily said, leaning down to pet the kitten. The kitten backed up further before tearing off away from her. Theo sighed as he looked over at her after making sure Nemo wasn’t hurt.

“She’s not supposed to be here. And Nemo isn’t mine,” he said. Jarrod thought that was an absolute lie, but he didn’t want to cause trouble by saying so. To his surprise, the kitten was still in the room, watching from behind R.J.’s chair. Jarrod hoped for her sake that she wouldn’t try to sit in it. Instead, she came back out and continued to watch everything. Jarrod was really starting to wonder about just how inefficient Camille and him had been if they didn’t even notice the kitten was still running around. Especially considering that she didn’t blend in at all.

Since she wasn’t stand-offish, he dismissed Theo’s jaguar from possibilities of what she reminded him off. He watched the other two argue and headed toward the ground. Perhaps Casey’s tiger was what was triggering his thoughts. The kitten headed over, tail in the air and sat next to him. She looked up at him and he gave a small smile and picked her up, holding her to his chest. Lily and Theo seemed to finally notice and Lily came rushing over. “You found her!” She said to Jarrod, reaching for the kitten. The kitten noticed and lashed out with a paw and a tiny hiss. Jarrod looked surprised as did Lily. “Poor thing. She’s probably terrified.”

“She’s probably evil,” Theo muttered, still irked about her going after Nemo. Jarrod looked at her and smiled.

“I don’t think she’s evil,” he said softly. “And she’s purring.”

That got Theo’s attention and he headed over as well. “Try putting her down, Jarrod,” he suggested. Jarrod did as he was asked. Theo motioned for Lily to sit and once she did as did Jarrod, the kitten bound over all three of their laps. When she was on Lily and Theo’s, she purred at any attention given. That said, she hopped down from Theo’s lap and hissed at Lily when she tried to hand something to Jarrod.

All of them looked at each other and Lily let her in her lap. When Theo tried, the same thing happened again. Jarrod looked at her as R.J. came into the room, cheerfully greeting all of them before heading to his chair. Jarrod looked at the chair and then back at the kitten. He held back a smile as he realized what he’d been missing. She didn’t remind him of a larger cat at all.

Lily caught his look. “Are you going to keep her, Jarrod?”

“Keep what?” R.J. asked as he looked over to see the kitten. “I see! She is welcome here, Jarrod, if you both wants it.”

He glanced over to see where Camille’s turtle was sitting and then looked at the kitten. “I think I’ll keep her. If I don’t, it will be too much like Theo’s bat.”

“Nemo is not my bat!” Theo protested, but neither of them listened. Jarrod smiled at the little kitten.

“I think I’ll call her Violet,” he said, smiling at the kitten. Violet purred against his chest and Jarrod stood up. Lily looked surprised.

“Violet?” She asked. “Why Violet?”

Jarrod smiled at her, but didn’t answer. A small smile from R.J. told him that the older man had caught on and approved. Violet simply made herself at home and Jarrod felt more right than he had in some time.


	12. L is for Lovebirds Who Belong to Wes, Eric, and Taylor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Baby humans change everything in a household which worries Wes.

When Wes, Eric, and Taylor brought the new baby home, it was Wes who worried how the birds would react. He’d already spent a lot of time making certain that they’d be safe once Luke learned how to crawl, but he was worried that they’d be jealous. Eric had rolled his eyes, but hadn’t interfered. Taylor had tried to tell him that the birds would get used to it only to eventually follow Eric’s example when she noticed it wasn’t working.

Wes looked at the birds as he held Luke in his arms. Eric was out and Taylor was sleeping, so he decided that now would be the best time to do this even if Trip did like Eric more and Katie enjoyed sleeping on Taylor’s shoulder. Wes didn’t mind. He’d gotten them for Taylor and Eric anyway. He made sure Luke wasn’t crying and looked at the birds. “Katie, Trip, this is Luke,” he said quietly. “We named him after Lucas just like we named you guys after the human Katie and Xybrian Trip.”

The birds just looked at him and chirped a bit. He looked at Luke. “We don’t love you guys any less, but he’s going to take up a lot of our time now.”

“They’ll be fine with it, Wes,” Taylor said with a yawn as she headed in. She reached over and opened the cage, pulling Katie out and setting her on her shoulder before reaching back for Trip. “They’re birds. They understand.”

“How can you be so sure?” Wes asked. Taylor smiled at him.

“Because I am a bird,” she reminded him. “So stop worrying. Katie, Trip, chirp at Luke so Wes feels better and we can all get some sleep.”

The birds did chirp, though Wes was pretty sure that was because they constantly chirped when the humans of the house talked. Eric had gotten annoyed, but Taylor told him he better get used to it with a baby on the way. Wes sighed and looked at Taylor. “Thanks.”

“For what?”

“For pretending to go along with me even if it was sarcastic,” he answered. She gently put the birds away, leaned over and kissed him.

“I love you, Wes, but you were driving us crazy,” she informed him. Wes just laughed as she headed back into her room to get some more rest. The birds were snuggled up together and Luke was still sleeping. Feeling tired himself, Wes took his place on the couch near the birds’ cage and let himself fall asleep. When Eric found him later, he simply put Luke in his crib, tossed a blanket on Wes, and let the birds out for a while. A ritual that would commence many times over the next year.


	13. M is for Minature horse which is for Danny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cole gives Danny a present.

She was a pretty little thing when Cole brought her in. Danny would have expected her to be a little more awkward, but she was far more light on her feet instead. She was black, other than a little white on her face. Max didn’t look too pleased, but Danny was already in love. Taylor was trying to roll her eyes while Wes was quietly scolding her and elbowing Eric for smirking at the whole thing. Alyssa just smiled serenely while Merrick nodded and shrugged off the whole thing. Cole just looked pleased that his gift was going over well.

“So, do you like her?” He asked. Danny reached out to the filly tentatively and smiled when she walked right over, letting him pet her mane. He didn’t answer right away, but just looked at her with a small smile. Max started to open his mouth, but Taylor reached over and smacked his arm, giving him a look to shut up. To her surprise, he listened and backed down. Danny reached out with his other hand and kneeled down, putting his head to hers. The filly pulled away and moved around in excitement with contented whinnies before heading back to him.

“She’s beautiful,” he said softly. “Thank you, Cole.”

“What are you going to call her?” Wes asked once the moment had passed a bit. Danny looked a bit shy.

“Flower,” he answered. At their surprised looks, he looked at the ground. “She reminds me of Flower.”

“From Bambi?” Alyssa asked kindly. At his nod, she smiled. “I didn’t know you liked that movie.”

“It’s my favorite,” he said quietly. They all turned and looked at Max who huffed a bit.

“We watch it at least once a week,” he grumbled. “I know the story by heart now.”

Eric snickered and Taylor reached around Wes toward him. The former Red Time Ranger calmly ducked as the two went at it before looking back at Danny. “I think Flower is a great name for her,” he said encouragingly.

Danny just held her, not really answering the others. When Max came over and sighed, petting her as well, his world felt as happy as it had been in a very long time.


	14. N is for  Newt who belongs to Chip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone got a familiar!

Chip scooped Galahad up and set the newt on his shoulder as he looked over the spell he was working on. The slightly enchanted creature stayed there, looking down to see what was going on before just relaxing. Chip barely noticed as he finished and looked over to see Clare coming over. She reached out and gently pet Galahad’s head. “How’s it working out with you two?” She asked.

“Are you kidding? He’s great! He flicks me with his tail if he sees I’m getting things wrong, he bobs a bit when I’m right, and he likes swimming in the pond near where Daggeron and I practice,” Chip said enthusiastically. “I couldn’t ask for a better familiar!”

Clare smiled at the newt who looked at her with disinterest. She might have been insulted if she didn’t already know that familiars were extremely one-magic user animals. As it was, she was a little surprised that Chip was the one who had found a familiar first considering he wanted to be a knight. “Good! Udonna will be surprised when she gets back.”

“Daggeron says he was pretty sure it was going to happen because I was open to it,” Chip said cheerfully. The newt calmly moved from one shoulder to the other that was further from Clare and laid back down. Despite its name, the newt seemed to be more like a grumpy old man. Chip seemed oblivious to the whole thing and tossed in the next ingredient. The mixture let out a burst sound and then settled back down. “He’s not big on flying though. And Madison keeps giving him looks. I caught her telling him that she wasn’t going to kiss him either.”

Clare giggled. “Still upset over the Daggeron thing, huh?”

“Yep!” Chip answered. “Want to help with the next potion?”

“Sure,” Clare said, moving to stand across him. For the most part, she was doing much better but like Chip, she still made mistakes. Thus, when Galahad ducked for cover, both Clare and Chip followed suit as the cauldron exploded.


	15. O is for Opossum who belongs to Dax

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dax has always been a little unusual and his choice in pets isn't helping.

No one was really sure where Dax got an opossum from. Mack quietly mentioned he’d heard of breeders. Ronny assumed that he found it digging through some trash during one of his shoots. Rose had gone over everything she knew of the biology of opossums before admitting that she had no idea and was just trying to avoid thinking about it. Will just shrugged, rolled his eyes, and asked what they expected from Dax. Tyzonn had taken twenty minutes for the others to convince him that no, opossums were not normal Earth pets and Dax was just weird. Tyzonn secretly didn’t understand what the problem was even after having it explained to him.

Regardless, Dax seemed perfectly happy with his pet and the critter seemed complacent near him. Mr. Hartford was seriously considering doing a study on the effect of the Power on animals after he caught Dax and the opossum sharing lunch together. As it was, it was left to Mack to figure out what was really going on. Mack sat down next to the other man. “So, what do you call it?”

“Stunts,” Dax answered. “And he's a boy.”

“Oh,” Mack said. He paused for a minute before trying to speak up again. “Why an opossum?”

“Because Stunts is special,” he answered, reaching over and petting the docile creature. Mack just watched. He’d seen opossums before and most of them weren’t that nice about things. As it was, Dax barely seemed to notice his odd taste in pets. “He can’t do most of the stunts I do, but if I hold onto him, he seems to like bouncing.”

“He does?”

“Yep.”

“Oh,” Mack said. Dax’s ever cheerful personality really made Mack not want to question it further, but at the same time, he didn’t want his friend to get injured from Stunts lashing out either. He started to say something else, but Tyzonn came running over to them with his arms filled with food.

“Dax! I got the food you mentioned!” Tyzonn said eagerly. “Can I feed Stunts next?”

“Sure!” Dax said. Mack wanted to give Tyzonn a look for encouraging Dax, but the two of them looked so adorable sitting there as they hand-fed the opossum that he couldn’t manage to do it. Instead he sat back and sighed.

“I guess if Dad and I have a yeti, an opossum isn’t that weird,” he muttered quietly.

“Huh?” Dax asked, looking up.

“Nothing,” Mack assured him and smiled when Dax went back to cheerfully showing an eager Tyzonn how to feed the creature properly.


	16. P is for Pig who belongs to Conner, Ethan, Kira, and Trent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The quartet show off the their pig to a very confused Justin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My belief is Justin is upset with all of his old teammates since he was abandoned by them and he was a kid who had had enough abandonment in his life. So, it's not just Tommy. Tommy just happens to be the quartet's mentor.

Justin felt more than a little uncomfortable as he drove up to the house. It wasn’t like he had gone looking for the four of them and had, in fact, tried avoidance tactics, but that hadn’t stopped them from looking for him. Ethan had noticed that Justin was about the same age they were, though a little older, and had apparently tracked him down wanting someone his own age who was as smart as him to talk to. From what he was understanding, the other three had quickly gotten on board and wanted the same thing. Zack and Kim had both pushed him to go, stating that he needed friends his own age. Once he heard their reasoning, Billy joined in on encouraging him as well. Trini had given him a reassuring smile and Jason joked that he could make it an order if Justin wanted. Considering how much he tended to listen to the older man, he quickly assured him he’d do it on his own terms as he wasn't sure just how much Jason was joking.

He’d been fourteen when he finally realized how the former Rangers had become more than just friends. He’d run away from them, trying to get away before they abandoned him too. Jason, Trini, Kim, and Zack had panicked. They’d all split up to find him, rushing to try to figure out where he might have gone to. Kim later told him that they called Billy to see if he could make something to find him, which had even worried Billy who hadn't even met him before. They were up the entire night. Trini hadn’t said a word to him when she found him. She just gave him a look that told him to stay put and called the other three. Kim was in tears, Zack had just looked heartbroken, and Jason had spent nearly an hour chewing him out. Justin was pretty sure that Jason had spent as much time scolding him then as his father had in the entire life. It wasn’t perfect after that, but it was the turning point for him.

So, when they all insisted he needed to go, Tommy or not, he was going to go. He took a breath and walked up to the house that the four younger Dino Thunder Rangers shared and rang the doorbell. He quietly waited as he heard crashing toward the door.

“I said I’ve got it!”

“I’m the one who found him!”

“If you two idiots scare him off, I’ll find a way to Pterascream you both!”

“Uh, guys! Someone might want to grab Ella before we trip over her.”

Justin took a step back from the door as the voices nearly crashed into it. The door opened and he was face with four people looking back at him. There was silence for a moment before the one in red smiled at him. “Would you like to come in?”

“Sure,” Justin answered, nearly tripping over an overactive pig. The little creature oinked at him and moved out of the way. He was a little amused to see that it was decked out in blue bows around its ears, neck and tail. He blinked and glanced back up at the other four. “I, uh…”

“She gets in the way sometimes. We decided it’s because Conner spoils her,” the girl said apologetically. “Come here, Ella.”

The pig quickly obeyed as the man in red snorted. “You guys are just as bad,” he said before looking at Justin. “They just don’t want to admit it.”

“She has a lot of bows,” Justin said, figuring this seemed to be a safe topic.

“Conner does it,” Ethan said.

“Only on special occasions,” Conner argued. “Besides, Ella likes looking pretty.”

“Special occasions?”

“Yep,” Conner answered. “Kira coming back from a tour, when Trent got hired to draw for a major comic company, when Ethan graduated college…”

“Or when Conner got his award for Best New Youth Program,” Ethan said. “Also birthdays, reunions, holidays, and whenever Conner decides to make something up so he can play dress up with her.”

“Hey!” Conner said, glaring at Ethan who barely seemed to even notice. He looked back at Justin and picked up where he left off. “So, for today, she’s in blue.” 

“Why?”

“Because you’re here,” Trent answered as if that was the most normal answer in the world. “We set you up in Ethan’s workroom. I hope that’s okay. We have a house big enough for us, but we forgot about a guest room. Instead, they’re work rooms for us.”

Justin looked at them, seeing their eager looks and set aside his anger at Tommy. “I’d like to see them.”

The happy smiles on all four faces made it completely worthwhile when he was dragged from room to room for over an hour. And when he woke up to a nudging pig who had decided he belonged there, that made everything even more right.


	17. Q is for Quail Who Belongs to RJ

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Like human, like bird.

R.J. was all about letting things do their own thing for the most part which was why he didn’t throw Theo’s bat out and had encouraged his student to keep it around. Little Master and Camille were a good match for each other and Jarrod rarely went anywhere with Violet tagging along behind. So, when he came across the Quail chick, he wasn’t going to question it. Instead, he’d quietly taken it in and taken care of it.

Bobbie was a great companion for him anyway. She raced after him, trying to stay right behind him when they were upstairs. She quietly, but effectively outsmarted Violet on a regular basis and she didn’t get in the way of Nemo. As a turtle, Little Master didn’t seem to care one way or the other.

“Guys, I have a protest against the destruction of a pond I need to go to,” R.J. said as he finished getting ready. The others nodded and gave quick waves. “Keep an eye on Bobbie for me.”

“Got it,” Casey answered with a smile.

“No problem, R.J.,” Lily assured him.

With that, R.J. took off leaving the rest of them alone for the day. Casey stretched out, pulling away his hand when Violet took a swing at it. Lily looked over and talked to Nemo before going downstairs for her shift and to relieve Theo. It wasn’t until they were prepping for dinner that they realized there was a problem.

“Where’s Bobbie?” Theo asked, looking around. “Usually she’s the first to show up for dinner.”

“She’s not?” Casey asked, looking over from getting the food bowls ready. Sure enough, Violet was balefully glaring at them to hurry, Little Master was watching out the side of her aquarium, and Nemo was perched upside down and disinterested since he caught his own food. There was a quail sized empty spot on the floor.

“It’s not that big of a room,” Lily said as she looked around. “She has to be here somewhere.”

All of them looked around, but none of them could find the missing bird. Casey in particular felt horrible. He’d watched R.J. care for the quail and he’d watched how it just curled up to the master when he was mediating. He’d even let her perch on his chair next to him. R.J. loved her. “You don’t think Violet finally got her, do you?”

All of them looked at the cat who was alternately cleaning herself and glaring at them for taking so long in getting her breakfast. Lily put her hand over her mouth, but Theo shook his head. “They’re still be a body somewhere or feathers or something,” he said. Casey wasn’t sure if he was certain about it or if he was trying to convince himself as well as all of them. “We just need to look for her.”

“We’re already doing that,” Casey said, trying to keep from panicking. They all looked at each other and rushed through the room to look for the missing quail. It was about an hour later that the phone rang and Casey answered it. “Hello?”

“Casey!” R.J.’s voice resonated. Casey looked confused. He was pretty sure R.J. hadn’t taken a cellphone with him. “Sorry it took me so long to call, but I had to find someone who had a phone. You can stop worrying.”

“Worrying?” Casey asked, trying to keep the worry out of his voice.

“It’s after dinner,” R.J. answered. “If you didn’t know before, you know now that Bobbie’s missing.”

“R.J., we…”

“She decided that she was also not cool with the destruction of nature and decided to join in the protest with the rest of our brothers and sisters,” R.J. told him. Casey blinked and was about to ask R.J. to repeat himself just so he could be certain as to what he’d been told, but R.J. continued. “She’s here with me. The others love her.”

“Oh. That’s great,” Casey said. He felt almost sick from the relief that washed over him. “Uh, you guys have a great time and I’m going to go finish feeding the others.”

“Of course, Young Tiger,” R.J. said cheerfully and hung up. Casey turned to the others who were looking at him, still a bit panicked.

“Bobbie is protesting at the pond,” he told them. Theo just looked at him before rolling his eyes.

“That bird is trouble,” he muttered. Nemo gave a squeak of agreement over his head. Well, he squeaked anyway. Theo chose to believe someone was agreeing with him.

“She takes after R.J.,” Casey said with a shrug. Lily just smiled to herself as she finished feeding the pets. Downstairs, she could hear Jarrod and Camille getting home. She relaxed and shook her head. When the newspaper arrived the next morning, none of them were surprised to see pictures of the protest and a puffed up proud little quail in the midst of it.


	18. R is for Rat who belongs to Justin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the little things that make friends into family.

Justin grinned as his newest little companion climbed onto Storm Blaster’s dashboard to look out the window. If it was any other car, he would have been worried about her doing so, but he knew that Storm Blaster was being extremely careful with her. “Hold on, Sparks,” he said as he turned a corner. While he was mostly in control, Storm Blaster would kick in at times to slow down if he thought Justin was going too fast and putting Sparks in potential danger. He’d brought the rat to show Storm Blaster and, if Justin wanted to be honest about it, both of them were extremely overprotective about the rat at this point.

He’d been surprised when Kim and Zack had insisted on throwing a party for him for his sixteenth birthday. He still wasn’t ready to forgive either of his teams for leaving him and he was still having trouble making friends, even with Zack and Kim’s abundant advice. He’d been relieved when Billy had gotten back to Earth and assured him that he understood how he felt. His dad had always been against him having pets so he wasn’t sure what Kim’s passionate speech had been like, but it had apparently worked as they’d taken him out to let him pick out a sweet sixteen gift since Zack joked they couldn’t get him a car.

He’d quickly chosen the only female rat they’d had, lifting her out of the aquarium and letting her explore. The others hadn’t teased him about his choice, but instead went to work getting him all of the supplies they could think of for her. He managed to squeak out a protest, but they wouldn’t hear of it and had continued instead. Billy had gently patted the boy on the shoulder with a slight smile and assured him that they really wanted to do this. Considering Justin had been around when they were trying to figure out a good pet for Billy, Justin finally accepted it as a ‘You're family. Deal with it’ gift.

“She’s a good choice.” Trini’s soft voice almost made him jump and he turned to look at her. All of the others were still moving around and, if he wanted to be honest, Trini was the one he knew the least. “She reminds me of you.”

“How?” He asked, trying not to sound too suspicious.

“She’s smart and not the biggest, but certainly capable,” Trini answered. “Like you are.”

Trini turned to go help the others and Justin looked down at the rat in his hands. He smiled at her. He didn’t say anything, but Trini understood and nodded as they stood there in quiet companionship.

Back in the present, Justin looked at his companion once more and was amused to see her moving around without a care in the world. He quietly hoped she was enjoying herself. She turned around finally and rushed back over, climbing onto his shoulder and resting there. He grinned and headed back to the others… toward the rest of his family… feeling more complete than he ever had.


	19. S is for Scorpion who belongs to Jason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zack should know better than to prank Jason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is so short. It just didn't work as anything longer.

Jason looked at the tank and then back at Zack. “Why is there a scorpion in my room?”

“You said you were lonely,” Zack answered, trying to keep the grin off his face. Jason looked back at the creature in the tank and then back at Zack again.

“And you thought a scorpion would help?” He asked. Zack leaned back and looked at his old friend.

“I thought you needed a pet to help you get over things,” he answered. Jason just stared at him. “You haven’t handled losing the gold powers very well, so I thought that a scorpion would help.”

“How?” Jason asked.

“To remind you of your real color,” he answered. “Red.”

He looked at it and then back at Zack. “You got me a scorpion so I would think about Scorpina?”

“Yep.”

“Okay.”

“Ye… Wait, what?” Zack asked, realizing that Jason was agreeing far too quickly for anyone’s liking. Jason just grinned.

“Scorpina is a good gift,” Jason answered, setting the tank in their dorm room where Zack would be able to see her more often. “And you get to tell Adam.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Here’s the phone.”

“Okay, I was messing with you,” Zack said. Jason grinned.

“I know,” he said. “I’m keeping her.”

“And you’re naming her Scorpina?” Zack asked. Jason shrugged. “Why?”

“Because it reminds me of Angel Grove,” he answered. “When you get off the phone with Adam, call Billy and ask him how we’re supposed to take care of a scorpion.”

Zack just glared.


	20. T is for Tarantula who belongs to Kendrix

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coming back from the dead is hard. But sometimes, you just need something to keep your grounded.

Kendrix didn't try to avoid anyone after the resurrection, but it was hard to be alive again. Everyone wanted to forget it happened and she wanted to, but when she was left alone to think, her mind always went back there. She didn't discuss it with the others. They were just so happy she was back and she didn't want to ruin that. Instead, she tried to keep it in and forget about it. Being on Mirinoi meant that there was plenty of work for her anyway so she didn't have to think about it or come in contact with that many other people. Everyone knew she had been the Pink Ranger. It was sort of obvious. They just hadn't brought it up out of respect for their heroes.

It was Andros who tried to make it better. He didn't tell her to get over it or complain about how his sister was feeling about everything. Instead, he went to earth when the others wanted to visit and brought her back a gift. He was lucky that she wasn't arachnophobic. His reasoning had made sense: she was trying to keep plants alive as food sources and was trying to mix Mirinoian plants with Terran plants so having a spider to deal with insects and pests might help. A tarantula was a bit big for the insect part, but she simply thanked him for it and took it with her. 

She looked up how to care for it and how long it would live as well as every other bit of information she would need. After that, taking care of Spirit became part of her routine and added even more stability to her day. The spider didn't need much attention, but it stayed close to her, killing some of the pests that were affecting her plants. She appreciated it doing so. She told it what she was worried about and how scared she was some day. She told her pet about how much she needed time to get past it and how pretty everything had been before she was pulled back to earth.

“That's the pet my brother got you?” Karone asked as she approached. Kendrix looked up from what she was doing and nodded before focusing again. She needed to get this just right and Karone would be patient.

“I can't believe he got you a spider, girl!” Damon said as he came from the other side. Kendrix just moved to let them sit down as she worked. Like Karone, other than slight conversation, they would let her work. She finished what she was doing before she looked up at Damon.

“Spirit is very helpful,” Kendrix said politely. Karone shrugged.

“I told him to get you a cat,” she said. Damon pointed at Karone.

“See? She gets it,” he said. “Did he pay attention to who we were fighting?”

“Probably not,” Karone answered. Kendrix just smiled at them both.

“She's a lovely gift,” she said, even if she'd had some of the same thoughts they had. Both of them gave her a skeptical look and she tried not to be even more amused. “I think I feel more grounded.”

Both of them were silent for a minute before Damon spoke up. “She's perfect,” he said quickly.

“Andros knew what he was doing,” Karone agreed. Kendrix looked over at them and smiled.

“He did,” she agreed. There was silence for a minute before she reached out to them both and pulled them into a hug. “I'm glad I'm back.”

“We're glad you're back,” Karone said forcefully. Damon nodded.

“Creepy spiders and all,” he agreed. Kendrix laughed.

“She's not creepy,” she said.

“Kendrix, she's a giant spider. She's creepy,” Damon argued, glancing in Spirit's direction every so often. Kendrix and Karone both rolled their eyes, but didn't say a word. As Spirit touched Kendrix's leg with one of hers and while she held her teammates, Kendrix felt alive.


	21. U is for Urchin who belongs to Chad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A pet can sometimes help someone feel like they fit it.

It hadn't been what any of them were expecting Chad to bring home, though if they were honest, they didn't know what they had been expecting. Most likely dolphins or a manta ray or anything else in the ocean that could join him when he headed out in the ocean. They hadn't expected a sea urchin. 

He didn't spend a lot of time with it considering how busy they all were, but he did mention that it was like his connection to the water. Joel and Kelsey were both a bit skeptical about it, but didn't say anything. Dana politely smiled. Carter didn't say anything since it wasn't his business. It was after Ryan showed up that it was brought up at all. “Ryan?” Chad asked from the doorway and the other man startled. “I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor.”

Ryan blinked. He'd talked with all of the others, some good conversations and some less good, but Chad hadn't said much. “What do you need?” He finally asked. Chad motioned with his head and Ryan shrugged, but followed. They headed toward where Chad was staying and Ryan saw the aquarium.

“Captain Mitchell asked me to go look into a possible problem for him,” Chad said. “I was wondering if you could watch Blue while I'm gone.”

Ryan looked into the aquarium and saw the urchin. He glanced back at Chad. “What do I need to do?”

“I'll show you how to feed her,” Chad said. “You won't need to change her tank. If you could look in on her, I'd appreciate it.”

Ryan nodded. “Do I need to worry about anything?” He asked. Chad shook his head.

“It's only for a couple of days,” he said. “Kelsey and Joel don't understand how to react to her. Dana is fine, but she has a lot to do this week. Carter tried once, but he ended up bringing in Dana when he thought Blue was sick.”

“She wasn't?” Ryan asked. Chad shook his head.

“No. He has a lot to worry about. I don't need him worrying about her too,” Chad explained.

“So, I'm the only one not doing anything,” Ryan said.

“She's used to a quiet room,” Chad explained. Ryan's eyes shone in understanding. He gave a nod and Chad grabbed his bag. “Thank you.”

Once he got back and found Ryan quietly reading in his room next to Blue's tank, he never said a word when Ryan came to visit. It was nice to have someone who understood the value of companionable silence. When Ryan asked if Chad was sure this was okay, Chad just smiled. “I think Blue appreciates the company,” he said politely.

“I appreciate hers too,” Ryan said. “Thank you.”

“Welcome to the team,” Chad said with a smile. And with that, the companionable silence flooded back into the room as the two teammates relaxed.


	22. V is for Veiled Chameleon who belongs to Xander

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Familiars are annoying, hard, and don't make sense... until you learn how to listen.

Xander looked at the chameleon with a sense of suspicion. It couldn't talk. He knew this because he'd checked, but that didn't stop him from feeling suspicious. After Chip had gotten his, they'd been ready for the possibility that they would each get a familiar themselves. However, it had been several months and they'd quietly decided that it might just be a Chip thing. Until now.

Xander had woken up, gotten out of bed, headed toward the mirror and found a veiled chameleon sitting on top of it. After he'd sworn and backpedaled, he'd headed back to the mirror and took in the situation. He'd spoken to it, but there hadn't been any words coming back. Unlike Chip's newt, it didn't seem to communicate non-verbally either. It was just... there.

He glared at it as he continued on his day. He wasn't Chip. He didn't want a familiar to deal with. That didn't seem to matter to to the chameleon who continually just kept showing up wherever Xander was. He was lucky Toby knew about them now because it just showed up while he was working, hanging on one of the shelves near Xander's chair. Toby had just shrugged it off.

Chip kept telling him that he needed to do something about it and get it to work with him, but Xander didn't focus on magic as much as Chip did. He focused on his plant magic, but less so on the rest of it. He focused more on diplomatic relations between the magical creatures and the rest of the town. He was better at helping them blend together. What he wasn't good at were seemingly unsentient familiars. Madison was amused at Xander and tried to encourage him to find out what it wanted, similar to how he did with the other creatures. Vida was the least helpful. She believed he should just get over it.

So far, he was trying to go with Madison's idea. Just working with it wasn't going to work right now. Ignoring it wasn't working. And getting over it wasn't an option. So trying to figure out what it wanted was his best plan. He sighed at it and tried to convince it to do something, but it didn't know what he wanted. To be honest, he wasn't too surprised about that either.

“Look,” he finally said. “I don't know why you're following me around. You're just there. And you won't leave. What do you want?!”

The chameleon didn't answer. It just stared at him. He sighed.

“This isnt working,” he said. “I'm trying to understand you, but we don't even have a basis of commun...”

He paused at that. A basis. He hadn't tried to find any sort of starting point for communication with the chameleon. It couldn't speak to him and it didn't seem to have much in the way of body language, but he could figure out something. He scoured his brain and realized that the lizard changed colors pretty often. Not when it was blending in or anything, but just in general. He raced back to where he knew Clare would be. “Hey!” He called out.

“Hi Xander!” She said.

“Do we have a book on colors?” He asked. She nodded. “Can I borrow it?”

“Sure,” she said, helping him find it. Xander poured over it and kept an eye on the chameleon. Sure enough, the color the lizard turned corresponded to the colors in the book. Xander looked at him. “I have an idea.”

***

Xander stood between Mr. Smith who was a baker and Cloe who affected the crop of wheat with her magic. The two of them were currently bickering over whether or not Cloe had done a fair job this year and whether or not Mr. Smith had taken too much. Nick had been the first to delegate, but he's left it to Xander on the grounds that 'he might destroy them both if he had to be in the same room for five more minutes'. Xander waited and looked at the chameleon. Sure enough, it was a bright red. “Enough,” he said, getting their attention. “You're going around in circles. Let's take this one step at a time. Mr. Smith?”

“She hasn't been growing enough! I'm having trouble staying afloat!” He growled. Xander glanced at his companion who was a new shade of yellow. He made certain not to frown.

“You're having trouble staying afloat?” He asked again, making sure to put up a hand to cut off whatever Cloe was about to disagree with. He kept his look a little intense and the baker paused.

“Well, I'm not making as much as I could,” he admitted. Xander glanced at the chameleon which had shifted to a blue. Xander turned his attention to Cloe.

“So, are you not cultivating enough?” He asked. He could deal with this by using his own magic to help, but that wouldn't solve the problem overall. She shook her head.

“I made as much as last year!” She answered. Mr. Smith frowned.

“We're growing!” He said. “I need more!”

Xander finally caught on. “Mr. Smith, we are growing, but you can't expect the magic creatures to shift how they've been doing things for centuries. If you want more, you're going to have to go outside Briarwood to get it.”

He stood up and motioned to the door which both of them headed toward, Mr. Smith looking annoyed and Cloe thanking him. Xander grinned at his companion. “Another fight stopped, huh Truth?”

Truth just seemingly stared off without acknowledging what he said, but when he turned a shade of pink, the color of love, Xander felt himself feeling the exact same way. Truth was definitely the best familiar he could ask for.


	23. W is for Wolves who Belong to Cole and Merrick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taylor is having to deal with Cole and Merrick going overboard with having a family. Again.

Taylor looked at the wolves and then at Cole and Merrick. Neither of them, to her annoyance, looked particularly sheepish about it. Danny and Max were staying back and just watching. Alyssa was ready to intervene if necessary. There was silence for a minute before Taylor caught Cole's eye. “They're multiplying.”

At Cole and Merrick's feet, there were four wolves and three cubs. Taylor was pretty sure the last time they'd come, there had been three wolves and zero cubs. Before that, there had been one wolf. Yes, they were definitely multiplying. Cole just grinned at her. “We adopted more of them!”

Taylor bit back the retort she had. “Why?”

“Because they needed it,” Cole answered. Taylor could hear the 'they didn't have a family' in his voice. She knew that was why Cole and Merrick both continued to take in orphaned wolves. Merrick could understand wolves better and Cole just wanted family around him. The Wild Force Rangers were his family too, but they were more scattered around. That said, she also didn't want to come back one day and have Cole depressed because his wolves had gotten hurt.

“If you take in too many,” she warned. “They're going to end up hungry or shot.”

“I won't let anyone shoot them,” Cole said and Merrick's expression darkened. Taylor wanted to hit her head against a tree. She didn't want his wolves hurt. That's why she was having this conversation. This very annoying conversation. 

“Cole, a large pack of wolves might scare some people,” she tried again. “I don't want to see any of them hurt.”

Cole smiled back at her. “Thanks, Taylor,” he said eagerly. “We'll be careful.”

Taylor glanced over at Alyssa, but the woman seemed content to just let them be. Seeing as that was the best she was going to get, she reached down and petted one of the cubs. She smiled a bit before looking up at Cole. “No more after this.”

“Okay, Taylor,” Cole said soothingly. She knew he'd break it. He knew he'd break it. He'd find one that was hurt or alone and bring it home. And when they met up again, he'd look at her with apologetic eyes and she'd forgive him and let him know it was okay in her own way. Just like always. She glanced at the wolves and then at Cole and Merrick. From what she understood, they were the parents of this pack. She smiled inwardly and hoped the wolves gave their parents as much trouble as their parents gave her.


	24. X is for Xenopus who Belongs to Adam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam bares his soul to an old companion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Xenopus is a type of frog. Also, X is a hard letter to work with.

Unlike with the scorpion, the frog hadn't been a joke gift at all. Instead, it had been a gift from Kim and Aisha when he'd been feeling upset over a failed relationship and schoolwork. They wanted to remind him how special he was. He sat down and let the frog out of the aquarium he had set up, making certain that Rocky wasn't home yet. He didn't really want to have to explain this to him. “So, I became a Ranger again,” he said. The frog didn't move, but stared straight at him. Adam knew it couldn't understand him, not really, but that didn't mean that this didn't help and he could trust his companion to tell no one.

“It was different. It wasn't my friends, but a bunch of kids,” he said. He smiled fondly as he thought about them. “There was Kira. She was trained by Tommy. We weren't able to talk long, but we promised to catch up so I could tell her everything I could think of with her mentor. Tori loved the water. She offered to teach me how to surf. I might take her up on it. Xander was carefree and confident without worrying about much and an insistence to talk to villains first. And Bridge. I still don't know what to think about Bridge.”

He paused for a moment to get his thoughts together before he continued. “I liked them, but when I was a Ranger, we were all the same age. I never felt so terrified before even if I didn't show it.”

He didn't want to say it, but they weren't his peers. Yes, they were teammates now, but they weren't the same age as him. Most of them were young enough to have been playing with Power Rangers action figures when he was a Ranger himself and the other was a toddler right now. It was weird to think about, but it was hard not to notice. Unlike with Tommy, he wasn't an authority figure, but he wasn't really one of them.

He sighed a bit as he moved, looking at the frog. “I just don't know how to deal with them,” he admitted.

He couldn't talk about this with Tommy either. Tommy wasn't in the same place. He'd been an authority figure, a mentor, and then a teammate. Adam had just been a teammate. He ran a hand through his hair and felt something a little moist touch his skin. He glanced down to see the frog touching his hand. He paused for a minute before lifting his friend up to look at him. “Thanks, Secret,” he said. The frog just stayed there. He carried him over and pulled open a book of pictures from when he was younger. It had been far easier to connect with people his own age and he was wondering why he'd been called back to that life in the first place. It was then a familiar face caught his eye.

“Ernie,” he said softly. The frog croaked. Adam looked down at the picture of the man that the Rangers could rely on. The memory of the man who had helped all of them more than he'd needed to over the years came to mind. Ernie hadn't been concerned over what he was to them, but rather how he could help them. They'd been able to talk to him in a way that they couldn't have with an authority figure. He could just talk to Kira. He could bond with Tori during surfing. Both he and Xander had been greens and he wanted to find out more about the magic. That left Bridge.

Bridge was an odd kid, but his heart was in the right place. Adam hadn't known how to handle things when he was there, so it hadn't ended as well, but he had to admit that the Ranger knew what he was doing. He smiled a bit at that and nodded to himself. He couldn't do anything for Bridge yet, but he could in time. As for the rest of them, he resolved himself to being a better teammate to them. He glanced down to see Secret just looking at him. “I also need to write a note to Kim and Aisha,” he said. “You are the best present they have ever given me.”

He put Secret back in his aquarium and got started. He was done feeling sorry for himself.


	25. Y is for Yellow Labrador who Belongs to Wes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Empty Nest Syndrome is hard to deal with, but having loved ones who find a way to help can make all the difference.

Wes sighed. He felt like he was supposed to be done. His son was all grown up and had become a Ranger himself to no one's surprise. Z had accepted Max and Danny back into her life. His father had passed away a few years before and he was just starting to feel empty. He didn't know what he was supposed to do anymore other than run the business, which he hated now that they'd found Z, and come home to Eric and Taylor.

He was far happier about that second part. He loved them, but work schedules weren’t conducive to spending time together. He often had to stay after for business. Eric sometimes needed to stay later for different shifts if some of the guardians called in and Taylor was a Brigadier General, but that didn't mean that she was home more. While they wanted her to retire, both of them knew she wouldn't be happy if they tried to push her to retire before she was ready. Besides, Eric wasn't ready to stop either.

Eric handled it well by taking care of Katie II and Trip II, otherwise known as “Eric and Taylor are terrible with naming things” and Wes was just feeling out of it. “You're driving us nuts,” Eric said. Wes tried not to sigh. Twenty years of marriage and Eric still wasn't any more sensitive than when they'd first married. “Taylor's just gone too often to agree.”

“Eric,” Wes said, not wanting to start another fight. Before he could, however, Eric dumped something into his lap. It took Wes a minute before he realized that the item was wiggling. He nearly jumped up as his instincts told him to, but his rationality told him that Eric wouldn't give him anything dangerous. A tiny head popped up to look at him and paws landed on his chest. Then he was wet.

Wes laughed and pushed the yellow lab puppy back as it wagged its tail. He looked at Eric who shrugged. “He reminded me of you.”

Wes gave him a dirty look, but it didn't last long. The puppy was drawing in his attention. “And Taylor isn't going to be upset?” He asked. Eric shook his head.

“It was partially her idea,” he admitted. They shared a smile at that and he looked back at the puppy. “You need this, Wes.”

“I do,” Wes admitted. His case of empty nest syndrome was starting to fade and he was feeling a lot better. “Thanks, Eric.”

“Just keep it from annoying me,” he grumbled.

Wes laughed. “I didn't know that I was supposed to preform miracles,” he teased. Eric swatted at him lazily and Wes ducked. It was familiar and loving and he had missed it. “I'm naming him Cole.”

“Good. Then you won't have to reteach him his name,” Eric said. Wes laughed.

“What is it with us and naming everything after teammates?” He asked. Eric shrugged.

“I checked in with Taylor,” he said. “She was hoping you'd think of it.”

Wes smiled and set the puppy down as he looked at Eric. “Does he have a leash?”

Eric held it out. “Taking him for a walk?”

“I thought, if you have time, that we could,” Wes said. Eric just opened the door and headed out, turning around and waiting. Wes put the leash on and followed the other out. It was a good new day.


	26. Z is for Zebra Finch who Belongs to Joel and Angela

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Practice makes perfect and they're going to need all the practice they can get.

Of all the people in the Power Rangers Family, Joel was not one that most of them thought as having a pet bird. Sure, he enjoyed flying, but he just didn’t seem like the pet type. That said, his marriage to Angela had also been a bit of a surprise to be honest. While the two dating wasn’t odd, their extremely quick relationship to marriage in about a year was. So, when Joel mentioned the bird, they figured that they were probably more surprised than they should have been. All except for Angela who was the one who had gotten it for him in the first place.

She headed down the hall to where her husband was already up and readying himself for the day. Being married hadn’t slowed him down at all. Instead, he was still as ready as ever to enjoy the day with his flying antics. She didn’t mind. That was who she’d married. She smiled as the little finch was perched on the chair next to Joel’s head. “Good morning, boys.”

Joel looked up and smiled. “Good morning. Come on, Pepper,” he said, standing up and letting the little bird perch on his fingers. “Let’s go tell Mommy good morning.”

The bird flew over to Angela’s stretch out hand and dipped his hand into her fist. Angela smiled, petting the small bird, before turning back to her husband. "Do you have somewhere to be this morning?"

"Nope," he answered and then looked at her. "Why?"

"Well, I haven't been feeling well and Captain Mitchell sent me to Dana," she said. He hadn't just quietly sent her there, but had insisted until she was willing to go. He'd even offered to escort her there until she'd relented.

"Okay," he said warily.

"I'm pregnant, Joel," she said calmly, pouring herself some juice as Pepper moved to her shoulder. Joel dropped his fork.

"What?! But I thought we couldn't get pregnant!" He exclaimed.

"We were wrong," she answered. "You're okay with it, right?"

"Of course!" He said. "This is, I need to tell, why don't I make you breakfast? Sit down. Pepper! Keep an eye on Mommy!"

Angela decided against reminding her husband about the limited intelligence of their beloved pet today. He probably wouldn't listen anyway. "Pancakes!" She told him.

"Got it!" He called back. He pulled out the pans as he muttered to himself. "I need to tell Mom and Dad and the team..."

"I have the feeling Dana knows," Angela said sardonically. Joel paused before his thoughts caught up with him.

"Right. You're going to keep Dana in the loop, right?" He asked.

"I'm going to keep Dana as my doctor," she answered. "Like all of you Power Rangers do."

"Okay," Joel said, calming down. After several Ranger children had been born, Dana had become their knowledge base for Power Ranger Children. She'd even taken a seminar about it on Eltar. "A baby."

"Yep," she answered, petting Pepper and enjoying the chirps the bird made as he tried to be involved in the conversation. "I think we're ready."

"We've done a good job raising Pepper together," Joel agreed, setting down another glass of juice for her. Angela thought about protesting, but the bird chose to chirp at that point and she sighed instead.

"Yes," she said, going along with the madness. "We have. And we'll be wonderful parents too."

Joel beamed before getting back to cooking and Angela tried not to laugh. It wasn't the life she'd expected when she was younger, but it was better than it could ever be.


End file.
